因此,哪怕领主大人选了精灵的命运,哪怕娶了个纯精灵的夫人,精灵血统已经过半了,但三个娃的属性依然是half-elven。似乎在托老的书中,命运和生理结构是分开的。选择了人类或者精灵的命运,对选择者本人的生理结构并没有什么影响。比如露西恩从曼督斯返回后已经选择了人类的命运,但生出来的迪奥依然是半精灵。然而,自己的选择+配偶一方的族类却对后代会造成影响,关于这一点,可以参见第153号信件:
The view is that theHalf-elven have a power of (irrevocable) choice, which may be delayed but notpermanently, which kin's fate they will share. Elros chose to be a King and'longaevus' but mortal, so all his descendants are mortal, and of a specially noblerace, but with dwindling longevity: so Aragorn (who, however, has a greaterlife-span than his contemporaries, double, though not the original Númenóreantreble, that of Men). Elrond chose to be among the Elves. His children – with arenewed Elvish strain, since their mother was Celebrían dtr. of Galadriel –have to make their choices. Arwen is not a 're-incarnation' of Lúthien (that inthe view of this mythical history would be impossible, since Lúthien has diedlike a mortal and left the world of time) but a descendant very like her inlooks, character, and fate. When she weds Aragorn (whose love-story elsewhererecounted is not here central and only occasionally referred to) she 'makes thechoice of Lúthien', so the grief at her parting from Elrond is speciallypoignant. Elrond passes Over Sea. The end of his sons, Elladan and Elrohir, isnot told: they delay their choice, and remain for a while.
我的想法是半精灵有一种可以做出(不可更改的)选择的能力,选择自己会分享哪一支亲族的命运,这种选择可以推迟,但不能永远搁置。埃尔洛斯选择成为王者,“长寿”但终有一死;所以他的后裔都是凡人,是一个极为高贵的种族,然而寿命不断缩短:阿拉贡正是如此(无论如何,他的寿命比同时代的人更长,尽管不能像原来努门诺尔人那样寿至人类的三倍,但也能到两倍)。埃尔隆德选择与精灵相伴。他的孩子们必须做出自己的选择,他们的母亲是加拉德瑞尔之女凯勒布莉安,因此他们身上带有补充进去的精灵血统。阿尔玟并非露西恩“转世”(从神话历史的角度来看,这是不可能的,因为露西恩已经像个凡人那样死去,离开了这个有时限的世界),而是在相貌、性格、命运方面与其非常相似的后裔。当她嫁给了阿拉贡(他们的爱情故事并非本书的中心,只是偶尔提及,但在其他地方有详细的叙述),她就“做出了和露西恩一样的选择”,因此她与埃尔隆德的分离格外令人伤感。埃尔隆德渡海而去。他两个儿子的结局并没有讲述:他们推迟了自己的选择,一段时间内依然如故。
由此看来,这个选择权有限定条件:精灵命运+娶了精灵的,后代依然可以选择;人类命运+娶了人类的、人类命运+娶了精灵、精灵命运+娶了人类的这三种排列组合,似乎选择权就一次性彻底作废了。虽然在逻辑上很有道理,因为需要补充永生的精灵血统,但无怪乎努曼诺尔的诸王觉得这简直太坑爹了!
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